RADiUS-TWC has acquired North American rights to “Paradise Lost,” starring Benicio Del Toro as notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar. The film co-stars Josh Hutcherson, Brady Corbet and newcomer Claudia Traisac, and was directed by first-time feature filmmaker Andrea Di Stefano. The company plans to open it this year.

Here’s the synopsis per RADiUS:

Young surfer Nick (Hutcherson) thinks all his dreams have come
true when he goes to visit his brother in Colombia. Against an idyllic
backdrop
of blue lagoons and white beaches, he falls madly in love with Maria
(Traisac) a beautiful Colombian girl. Everything seems perfect until he meets her
uncle, Pablo Escobar (Del Toro).

“We have been tracking this project for months and could not be more
energized by Benicio’s outstanding performance and the star making turn
by Claudia Traisac,” RADiUS co-presidents Tom Quinn and Jason Janego said in a statement. “Di Stefano has delivered the goods and we feel
privileged to be working alongside him on this
fantastic film.”

Zhao said with her Bass Reeves biopic, she’ll direct a more traditional cast like she did with her first-timers: “You can work with an actor in a certain way, you can create an environment like Terrence Malick has always done.”